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Its good because it is still Monopoly, but not a patch on the original

The Monopoly Here and Now edition brings one crucial change as well as many minor ones.

Changes:

Properties - the properties have been changed from the classic London locations, to worldwide locations, changing from neighborhoods and train stations to cities and airports. This is a welcome change as it makes it a more satisfying experience buying whole, much more recognizable cities rather than locations around London, even though they are well know locations.

Chance/community chest - another minor change, the events are much the same but the scenarios are different, foe example, rather than collecting $10 for you birthday, you collect it for St Paddy's day. There are no significant benefits or drawbacks of this change, however if anything it makes it less recognizable by using some country specific events.

Credit card system - there is an electronic game unit and plastic visa credit cards rather than the classic Monopoly money. This is a huge change in terms of gameplay and brings with is both benefits and drawbacks. The benefits are that you will never lose you money again, unless of course you lose all the credit cards. This is a big advantage for someone like me who is always dropping, ripping, damaging and losing the paper money. Another great thing this does is stop those cheats! It's much harder to steal from the bank because of the persistent beep the game unit makes as you type that additional 0 on the end of the rent someone pays you. The drawbacks however are significant as well. The credit card system detracts from the classic game in the sense that, taking someones card and typing numbers in doesn't quite give the same satisfaction as seeing them hand over their last dollar. It is still fun, but the physical money is what makes the game. Also the game unit can be fiddly and without a doubt takes longer than handing over a couple of notes.

It is the same game, just based on a very new and different gameplay style. I personally don't like it as much as the classic version and always end up going back to it, but that may just be because I grew up with it. This could be the way forward for Monopoly, but for anyone who owns or has even played the original, this probably won't be the magical improvement it seems to be at first sight.

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great game for any Monopoly lover

I have quite a good collection of Monopolies as well, so when I saw this World themed Monopoly on the internet last year, I just had to add it to my cart and order it to add it to my Monopoly stash.

I think that everyone is familiar with the concept of Monopoly, it's one of the best and most well known traditional board games of our generation... But for anyone who has been living under a rock for all their lives here a quick description of the Monopoly game: Monopoly is a board game where each player takes their turn to roll a pair of dice and move around the board square by square, when you land on a property, you can either buy it or if it is already owned by another player you have to pay them 'rent' landing on it. Each property is a different price and carries a different rent, as you progress around the board properties increase in price and rent, to increase rent of your properties you can put houses and hotels on them. The general aim of the game is to own as many properties as you can so players will have to pay you lots of rent, the game is over when everyone but the overall winner is bankrupt.

There have been a few changes in the cosmetics of the game to make it look World themed, mainly the Monopoly board has been revamped, though it still holds the same format as the original, the properties on the board have been changed in the sense that instead of good old Mayfair and the other properties in the original, the properties are named after major cities around the world, here is a small list of some examples of properties you can expect to find on The World Monopolys board:Hong Kong, ChinaTokyo, JapanIstanbul, Turkey London, England New York, United StatesSydney, AustraliaBarcelona, SpainVancouver, CanadaThere are some really well known cities featured on this board, most of which are popular tourist cities, which is what I like about this game, as I have done my fair share of traveling, when I am playing this game I almost always aim to own cities I have visited. The board in this version of Monopoly is really well set out and looks the part, it is also great quality and apart from the board theme is still pretty much the same quality as the Original Monopoly.

The houses and hotels are a little bit different than the original Monopolies houses and hotels, instead they are shaped like different kinds of styles of buildings from all around the world, there are models of pyramids and skyscrapers for hotels, I liked this about this game as it makes this version of Monopoly more unique, also as I have traveled quite a bit I like to pick buildings or hotels that I have actually seen before, like the pyramids are my favourite choice.

The community chests and chance cards are also World City Themed, though are still quite similar to the basic original Monopoly games, an example of what a card would say is:'Orgainise St. Paddys Day festival in Dublin, collect £10 from each player'. This gives the game a different feel to it compared to the, sometimes boring, Original Monopoly Community Chests and Chances and this makes it more interesting, when I was playing this game for the first time, I couldn't wait to get my next Community Chest or Chance card.

The play pieces that are in this game are all of course shaped like objects that you are likely to see in today's modern world, there is a plane, skateboard, racing car, roller blade mobile phone and strangely enough a hamburger as well, they are made quite similarly to the original game pieces, though are different shapes, I really like this versions pieces, and normally try and go for the skateboard piece, though everyone always has their favourite.

The Money is much different to the original Monopolies, instead of playing with paper money, instead you play electronically with the use of credit cards and your money is stored electronically, this is a nice change for Monopoly as the electronic devices are really easy to use and it means less tidying up after playing.

This game can be played from 2-6 players.

I bought this game £25 on amazon around a year ago, however I am sure that if you shopped around you could get it for much cheaper, it sometimes pops up in shops like Tesco or BnM bargains, where it mite be cheaper. I was really happy with my purchase and think that £25 was quite a good price to pay, however I collect Monopoly games and probably would spend more than the average person for a game.

I think that this is a great version of Monopoly and would be best suited to anyone who has an interest in traveling or the world cities in general, the electronic money playing feature was a nice change to the original money playing method and the board is also a good change and well set out. After playing on this board I would say that this was a good buy and would recommend it to any one who likes a good game of Monopoly.

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Not cheap but it certainly gets people engaged and still the same good old family game at heart.

Hasbro have rebranded its old Monopoly game for the 21st century, adding in cities from around the world and introducing a new way of wheeler-dealing, using a credit card instead of those old fashioned bank notes...

The basic premise of the game remains the same, you travel around the board making purchases of land (cities in this case), and charging those unfortunate players who land on your property rental fees. The idea is that you bankrupt your opponents by making shrewd purchases of land and property, and forcing them to pay you for the privilege of staying there.

You can still go to jail, and the old Chance and Community Chest spaces are still on the board which means that if you land on one of these squares, you take a card and either reap the reward or pay the price shown on the card.

The main difference is the property now all costs much more money than it does in the old game, and you start off with £15 million to make your purchases. Probably more realistic in today's climate! But rather than wrestling with £15m in used Monopoly money, you have a plastic credit card (there are six with the game, all different colours) with £15m credited to it at the start of the game using the electronic "card reader" - beware, this needs batteries to work, and these are not supplied.

The card reader has one side for adding money and another side for taking it off a card.

Each time you pass Go you have £2m credited to your card with the card reader, and all bills that you have to pay come off the card too.

When you have to pay another player money, your card is placed in the debit side, and their card in the credit side, and the amount owed is typed into the reader, the reader then transfers the money from one card to the other.

BE WARNED: It is very easy to put the cards in the wrong way round or get confused, well I found it easy to make a mistake, and I was sober at the time I was playing! This is not a problem you have with cash.

It really is a novel new way to play though but once the novelty wears off it can get a bit tedious if you're the one in charge of the reader, as it can take a bit of faffing around to get it right.

Other than that, the rules are the same as standard Monopoly, you can buy apartments for your properties to increase their rent value, you can mortgage out your properties if you find yourself in a sticky financial situation.

A good clean family game, which can get the whole family arguing in the way only board games can!

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A family classic for those rainy days

Monopoly Here & Now Electronic Banking!

Yes yet another version of this family game.

My son appeared on one Sunday afternoon with this board game and I stiffled the groan. The last thing I wanted to do was sit for hours playing another game. However, I was attracted by the box and really couldn't ignore the excitement in my son's voice. So gave in and cleared the table.Appearance

The game comes in a bright, shiney, gold edged box with the traditional name and logo splattered across the top.

The 'Cards not Cash' sub heading catches your eye and draws you to the Monopoly Visa card and machine. (great no more endless counting of worn out paper money)

The Game

The age range is for 8 years plus, however a younger player with good understanding of board games and maths could be easily involved. You can have from 2-6 players.

I have recently used this in class when we add a My Money Week - and the children went into teams - so this can be adapted to play with more than 6 players. It was a great hit and I have taken it back into class for the children to play during wet playtimes.

The educational side was great - it supported adding and subtracting skills and more importantly - working co-operatively in teams to solve problems.

Batteries are required so be warned, they are not included.

Contents

The usual format of Monopoly board with the Chance & Comminity chest cards & spaces in centre of board.

The street / companies for sale around the board are the same colours found on most board, which will help younger players who are familiar with other versions of this game. However, there are 'apartments' to buy rather than houses and the prices are (HOW MUCH?!) God, this is like real life, wheres my 'flexible friend'.

Oh yeah, did I mentioned the London Airports are up for sale?!

The Big Difference with this game is the VISA CREDIT CARDS. 6 different colours but all the same info. These replace the paper money , that we all hate having to count at the end of each game.

The cards are used to top up and pay for items, fees etc as the players move around the board. A hand held Banker Unit charges the cards according to the information tapped in through the key pad.

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Really good family fun

A new version of an old classic. The formula for Monopoly is simple and has been tried and tested over many a generation despite being the longest game ever it is still a family favourite. Instead of notes this version uses cards that are like a credit card and a calculator which keeps track of what everybody has left. The calculator machine also transfers money from card to card which is fun. The calculator is a novelty at first it's great however after a while it seems very slow and so for whoever acts as banker it can end up been tedious and quite annoying. Also if you are looking for any teaching values from this game you might be hard pushed to find them as without the cash like in the old version there is no way to teach a child how to add or what makes up the right values. A good game though if your just after some family fun.

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I would give this a miss and stick to the original and best version of Monopoly we all know and love

I have been a big Monopoly fan and have loved the game for years. I have even purchased many of the various spin-offs, such as the Star Wars edition, Simpsons edition which have been great fun. This version however changes the format, changing the traditional money format to a credit card system which I didn't enjoy.

The GOOD Points:

New properties - as the product name suggests, this version of Monopoly contains many famous cities across the world such as London, New York, Shanghai, Istanbul among others. This helps to add a new feel to the traditional game, getting away from the old property names in London which become tiresome after a while.

Credit Card system - this a double-edged sword, but it does have its advantages. It means that it adds a totally unique and fresh aspect to playing a classic game. You are supplied with 6 Monopoly Debit Cards and 1 electronic banking/calculator unit which helps to keep track of how much money you have. This is a great addition in terms of adding a new variety to the gameplay, but also takes away some of the fun-factor which the old game has retained over so many generations.

No more losing your money! - this may be enough to persuade some people to purchase this game with money inevitably ending up here there are everywhere! I have lost so much Monopoly money, which you cannot do with this game. Saves the time and effort finding all of the missing, fiddly pieces and everything is kept simple here.

The BAD Points:

Credit Card system - this a very real, serious fatal flaw in the game and one which has meant I never play this game anymore and is a good reason why some things are best kept the same. The credit card system quickly becomes fiddly and slow, having to type in the transactions one-by-one when simply handing over the money would be easier. I feel over a long-game, which Monopoly always turns out to be, it wastes so much time and takes away the enjoyment giving someone 10 pounds via a credit card system. However this is not the only reason why I never play this game again...

Monopoly has lost its classic charm and fun-factor - it just isn't the same handing over your last remaining pounds to your rival with a credit card system. You may as well not have bothered! It is far more fun holding the money, and giving and receiving physical money. It just feels much more significant handing over you last note than punching a few digits into a calculator (which you soon become tired of anyway).

Summary: Overall, if you have Monopoly I would say stick with the old version as it is far more fun and will keep you entertained for longer. If you are looking for a spawn-off version to keep things lively, have a look at the Simpsons, Star Wars, or the other endless streams of versions that will be out on the market.

If you buy this version, you will find yourselves inevitably switching back to the old version and therefore, is simply not worth purchasing. An interesting concept, but No Thanks. Classic Monopoly for me.

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6/10, great idea but not really my cup of tea!

Monopoly is a well known game and many versions have been distributed since the original in 1933. This much loved game is all about properties and money dealing. It is for 2 to 8 player and from ages 8 and upwards. The aim of the game is to get the most properties/money/hotels and houses on properties, if your the last one standing, then you win! To start with, the properties you can buy have changed in this version and starting from the lowest value (the brown properties) to the riches (dark blue/purple properties) and I will name them all now.- Gdynia-Taipei-Tokyo-Barcelona-Athens-Istanbul-Kyiv-Toronto-Rome-Shanghai-Vancouver-Sydney-New York-London-Beijing-Hong Kong-Jerusalem-Paris-Belgrade-Cape Town-Riga-Montreal

It still has the Chance and Community chest cards, some similar to older games and some newer. The free parking is different in this version as you cannot pick up money from the board centre, instead it gives you time in the game to buy houses/hotels if you want to. This game doesn't deal this money, each player gets a 'credit card' each starting with 150k each which is already preloaded on each card. A machine comes with this game which when you put the cards in it you can deduct, swap from card to card, or add money to a card. Also they have some different game board pieces in this including a mobile phone, a burger, and a hot air balloon.

~My thoughts~Okay so the monopoly manufacturers have updated this game and made it very modern with bank cards and even the game pieces can relate to people better than a bankers hat or a plane.I personally prefer the game where you handle money and have a set banker to the game just because its fun to have hold of your own money and if your like my sister then get to take the occasional $100 secretly from the bank :P Also the machine that adds and removes money is very noisy with a beeping sound, which is interesting and something new at first but then gets very annoying, they could of least made a button to turn down the sound!

All in all a great family game but I will defiantly be sticking to the older versions of the game.

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The new world edition, with an electronic twist!

I collect Monopoly boards, and 'Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition' is the latest addition to my collection. I wasn't sure what to expect - In many ways I like the old way of using bank notes as money, and I was at first dubious of the new electronic credit card way of purchasing and selling property (or world cities in this instance).

For anyone who doesn't know, monopoly is a property trading board game, for up to 8 players, aged 8 and up. Briefly, as each player progresses around the board, they must try to win the game through buying property and doing deals with fellow players. The person left in at the end of the game (when all other players have gone bankrupt) wins.

This world edition is the result of a global vote on which 22 cities should be included on the board as property to buy. Instead of using bank notes, each player has a credit card pre-loaded with 150K Monopoly pounds - the credit cards are simply put into a machine that deducts and adds the relevant amounts onto the cards. It makes the game much easier to play then fiddling around with bank notes.

The chance and community chestcards have also been updated and have more modern and realistic messages on them.

I personally prefer this to the old-style games and think it is the future of monopoly. I would recommend this as a great family game.

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Product Details

In a valiant effort to maintain a sense of relevance in a world where billions are traded every hour and the socio-economic map of London is redrawn with each passing decade, there's a flash new kid in town. The clever chaps behind the legendary and oh-so-British board game Monopoly have given it a more exotic overhaul. Pack your bags and embark on a world tour. The World's number one game has gone global - this world-class Monopoly gameboard has you traveling to cities across the globe. Now, in the brash new version of Monopoly, a world of cashless transactions awaits. Rather than accumulating a fetching mound of cash, get ready to wheel and deal in millions of dollars with your own Monopoly credit card and a digital banking device that keeps track of your balance. The world has voted, so find out which cities made the board as you cross six continents before you pass go!